Invisible Ink

When I was a child, I had a fascination with the trick of invisible or disappearing ink. It was a thrill, not to mention somewhat empowering, to be able to write something that no one else could read unless I gave them the ability. Of course, the various tricks had their limits, but I never cared – it was simply “cool”. Besides, I was certain I’d someday use my intelligence and love of science to invent an improvement that would render the trick more practical.

As I ventured into my teenage years, I discovered new value for the childhood gimmick as I filled my journal with thoughts, ideas and secrets that I certainly didn’t want my parents or siblings to read. I often wished I’d spent less time playing hockey and more time experimenting with my chemistry set; instead, I had to make do with good hiding places – and the occasional “booby trap” to ward off a nosy brother!

But perhaps “invisible ink” isn’t merely a child’s trick after all. As an adult I often write with the “grown-up” version of invisible ink – words that the world at large will never see because they were rejected by publishers, or because they only appeared on paper as a form of therapy; expressing complex feelings, fears and secrets in a solitary counseling session before meeting their ultimate fate in a shredder or trash can.

The rejection is difficult – and it doesn’t get any easier as time wears on. It’s certainly a blow to my ego to be informed that my work isn’t good enough to be accepted by the publication I’ve pursued. I long for my words to be enjoyed by others, while also, perhaps selfishly, longing to earn my living pursuing this craft that I love. I seek ways to leave this unfortunate form of invisible ink behind, but without much success to speak of so far. But I write on – I put pencil to paper and fingertip to keyboard in a dance that may torture my mind, but still often manages to comfort my heart and soul.

Progress, sweet progress!

I guess I needed New Year's to hit in order to get the writing going again. Elbow issues that are radiating pain into my hand are trying to derail me, but I battle forward toward my goal of writing in some fashion every single day.

Six out of eight so far since my resolution - it's progress, so I'll take it for now.

Most of my work has been on a project that I quite frankly have no idea what the final destination is - it began as an ultra short story for an online writing group I belong to, but has simply grown and I suppose could be headed toward a novel in the long run......not really sure exactly, but I'm enjoying the journey.

I'm also working on posts for my sports opinion blog, which is unfortunately taking some time to get really up and running. I'm hopeful that by the end of the month I'll have things really cranking over there - for those who are interested, I've placed a link in the left sidebar under "Interesting Reading".

Now if only I could make progress with the elbow pain.